The habituation problem means that we simply don’t see, or have limited awareness of the things that affect our behaviour once we are embedded in the organisation for any length of time. In this article, Mike Thackray explores the silent communicators and symbols that can hugely impact the way employees behave.
For as long as I’ve been working, I have heard some version of the following on an almost weekly basis:
‘Why can’t people just do XYZ?’
‘Why do they not GET it?’ or often
‘How can they be so STUPID?’
It is a simple expression of our struggle to understand why others fail to do what seems so clear and necessary.
Indeed, I have said it myself on many occasions. I once recall, after a particularly exasperating period of time where I felt my team wasn’t doing what was being asked of them, writing (and possibly sending) a plea to my managers asking everyone to simply ‘revert back to what they were meant to be doing’. I was only half-joking…
In a similar vein, we are hearing a lot in various public debates and enquiries right now about how it ‘should have been obvious’ about this or that, or that a certain decision ‘could only have been made by a fool’, or a bad actor. But is this really the case?
… we are hearing a lot in various public debates and enquiries right now about how it ‘should have been obvious’ about this or that, or that a certain decision ‘could only have been made by a fool’, or a bad actor. But is this really the case?
It’s common sense
It’s a sobering thought that as often as we’ve asked this question of others, it’s likely been asked of us too. Believing that our version of common sense is self-evidently the right one implies that we alone have access to the full range of salient information in any given situation. However, when happily pontificating on others shortcomings, we must also be humbled by the fact that we too have some significant blind spots that lead others to the same feeling of frustration we often feel. We are not, unfortunately, special cases.
That’s a tough pill to swallow. In our heads, our actions always make sense. We don’t intentionally make nonsensical decisions, and it’s only later when new insight that was not evident at the time comes to light that we might label our actions differently. And this is how it is for everyone. Given what we know, given the unique set of experiences that led us to that particular point in time, and crucially, given the environment in which we operate – all action makes sense.
If we accept this premise, our whole outlook changes. We shift from condemning to questioning in order to understand. We move from accusations of ‘stupidity’ or even ‘wilful sabotage’, and start trying to understand why that behaviour made sense.
Moving from frustration to understanding
Whilst most of us understand this on a logical level, the action that should follow is perhaps rarely observed in practice…
In those moments when this insight would be most useful (the ‘why do they not get it’ moments), the understanding and ability to act accordingly seems to elude us, and we revert back to the simplicity and safety of assuming others do not get it the way we do.
So, how do we move from a position of frustration and bewilderment, to one of empathy and understanding how we can help people make better decisions or exercise better judgement?
To truly understand people’s actions, we need to understand two things:
- The individual – their preferences, learned behaviour, past-experience, skills, knowledge.
- Their environment – what others around them say and do, the information they receive, the system they operate in, and the behaviours they are rewarded for.
A good understanding of these two things will explain why others view a situation very different to the way we do, and behave in ways that are at odds with what the organisation requires. If skilled, well-intentioned and intelligent people are not doing what is being asked of them, then the answer may well lie somewhere in the environment they are operating in. Somewhere in the system are factors influencing behaviour that makes the ‘wrong’ thing make sense.
If skilled, well-intentioned and intelligent people are not doing what is being asked of them, then the answer may well lie somewhere in the environment they are operating in. Somewhere in the system are factors influencing behaviour that makes the ‘wrong’ thing make sense.
Uncovering the silent communicators
In an organisational setting, we encounter two problems when we seek to understand the factors currently influence behaviour:
- None of us has access to the whole picture. We each see and experience the same organisation differently; with multiple meanings and multiple, valid interpretations of the same events.
- These behavioural influences may operate on a subconscious level. We know explanations of why we do what we do are often subject to post-hoc rationalisation, and therefore require an unrealistic level of self-awareness to fully understand why we acted as we did.
These may sound like a rather self-serving statements coming from a consultant, but the habituation problem means that we simply don’t see, or have limited awareness of these influences once we are embedded in the organisation for any length of time. These are the silent communicators and symbols that influence behaviour. Those aspects of the organisation that say so much, without overtly saying anything. If we can give these silent communicators a voice, we can begin to adjust the levers and remove the barriers that prevent the desired behaviours.
At OE Cam, we always try to understand what is really going on in our client’s organisations, in order that we help build lasting change that is supported by the whole system. In my next article, I will look at ways in which we can do this…
For more information about how to uncover the silent communicators in your organisation, please contact Mike Thackray – mike.thackray@oecam.com